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Why The Portland Trail Blazers Are Betting On Their Core

By Jordan Treske

Apr 29, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) hugs guard CJ McCollum (3) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) hugs guard CJ McCollum (3) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Portland Trail Blazers have spent big money this offseason to keep the foundation of their roster intact.  While there’s plenty of risk involved, they’re hoping that there’s no better time to bet on their young roster.

After a summer where they had to rebuild their starting lineup, much less half of their entire team, the Portland Trail Blazers have acted on an entirely different plan this offseason.

The Blazers have spent a lot of money ($350 million, to be exact) this offseason. While most of that has been focused on retaining (or extending) key players like Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless and C.J. McCollum, the Blazers went out and made some moves to bolster their depth by signing swingman Evan Turner and big man Festus Ezeli.

For a team that surprised many, if not all followers of the NBA with their success last season, many are wondering why the Blazers are choosing now of all times to turn their rebuilding plan into overdrive.

As it stands right now, the Blazers face a mammoth luxury tax bill starting in the 2017-18 season, when all of the money they’ve shelled out this summer fully kicks in. Per Danny Leroux of Real GM and The Sporting News, the current projection of the Blazers’ tax bill stands at $59.75 million.

As Leroux also points out, that projection includes Mason Plumlee‘s current cap hold, which is key as he’ll hit free agency as a restricted free agent next summer.

So why would the Blazers seemingly fully commit to a roster for the foreseeable future that, if we’re being honest here, still has a long way to go in being viewed and respected as a championship contender?

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    • The answer for that isn’t quite so simple, but a big part of what the Blazers are doing is based on what’s happening all around them in the Western Conference.

    The state of the Western Conference has rapidly changed since the start of free agency. Of course, the top of the West remains the same with the Golden State Warriors now that Kevin Durant is entering the fold, but there’s a growing chasm between the Warriors and the teams that are theoretically chasing them.

    Ranging from teams that have had to massively overhaul their roster like the Oklahoma City Thunder to teams that are left with big voids to fill like the San Antonio Spurs, there’s a lot of uncertainty on who makes it through to try and challenge the Warriors for the Western Conference crown.

    Yes, many teams in the West have quickly rebuilt themselves this offseason and there will be teams like the Utah Jazz and potentially the Minnesota Timberwolves that could make a run towards playoff contention as soon as next season, but there’s nonetheless a sea of change brewing near the top of the Western Conference.

    So while everybody is going one direction, the Blazers are zagging by largely sticking with what they have and reinforcing themselves by addressing their weaknesses.

    All of this isn’t to say that the Blazers don’t face questions regarding the makeup of their roster, because there’s certainly some lingering doubts in some key areas.

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    As fast as they have risen to the top of the NBA as a backcourt duo, there are still concerns regarding how viable a backcourt pairing of Damian Lillard and McCollum can be on both ends of the floor.

    Not only that, but can key figures in the team’s supporting cast continue to develop positively as the “shock factor” wears off of the Blazers heading into next year?

    Despite those concerns, the Blazers are undoubtedly bullish on their young roster and given how green that roster is (the Blazers are the fourth youngest team in the NBA, per Real GM), there’s still room for improvement.

    With the high tax figures looming over them very soon, there’s certainly a lot of risk involved with the many lucrative deals the Blazers have committed to over the last month.

    However, that doesn’t get in the way of how promising the future remains to be for the Blazers and while they can’t realistically compete with teams like the Warriors and Spurs as it stands now, there’s an opening for Portland to potentially find a place near the top of the West very soon.

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    For the Blazers, just being in the mix is enough and while there are plenty of things they’ve yet to prove, the future could be even brighter if everything goes to plan.

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